Ultimately, however, when the Congressional sausage-making was complete and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was passed in November 2021, the bill deemphasized the Biden-Harris administration’s community-centered, local choice approach.
Still, it should be noted that the seed of the Biden-Harris administration’s vision did make it into the law, as the law specifically says any state that uses BEAD funds to build new networks must “ensure the participation of non-traditional broadband providers (such as municipalities or political subdivisions, cooperatives, non-profits, Tribal Governments, and utilities).”